Bird Watching in Central Park

The much-anticipated St. Bernard’s Birdathon took place on May 11, 2017, on a beautiful, sunny day.  Third graders have been learning about birds for several months and were eager to put their knowledge to the test.  Mr. Bourdin, an Upper School math teacher and bird expert, visited the third grade in early May to teach the boys about birds commonly found in Central Park.  In the classroom boys listened to recordings of bird calls and examined the markings for different birds.  Each boy was assigned a specific bird for which he learned the markings and memorized the call.  Some boys hoped to see their assigned birds in the park, while others knew that their assigned bird had already migrated away from New York.

St. B’s third graders were joined by their parents, teachers, and volunteer guides from the New York City chapter of the National Audubon Society.  Former faculty members, Mrs. Gridley and Mr. Joost, also joined the boys this year, and Old Boy Nico Mendoza ’12 was happy to join his former teacher, Mr. Joost, and the boys for the occasion.

After breaking into smaller groups, the boys were able to cover a lot of ground throughout the park.  They heard and saw a total of sixty-five species of birds, an impressive number.  Some boys were lucky enough to see a raccoon while others enjoyed watching an Ovenbird search for something to eat, while others saw a woodpecker eat out of a woman’s hand.  One boy whistled the call of his assigned bird as he walked through the park, momentarily confusing others in his group.  Everyone enjoyed themselves and admired the amazing variety of birds so close by in Central Park.

Thanks to Mrs. FitzGerald, Ms. Hudson, Ms. Wagner, and Ms. Virtue for organizing this wonderful trip.  Thanks to Mr. Bourdin, Mrs. Gridley, Mr. Joost, and the many volunteers from Audubon for guiding the groups through the park and for teaching us all about birds.